Agriculture

We remain resolute on bringing prosperity to the state – Makinde

By Web News 376

By Iyabo Adebisi

Oyo State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde has reiterated his commitment to making the state a modern agribusiness hub in Sub-Saharan Africa, just as he promised to give more support to farmers and improve infrastructure and security with a view to attracting large investments in agriculture to the state. 

He stated this in his opening remark at an event themed, “Agribusiness for Food Security Initiative”, held at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, (IITA), Ibadan. 

Governor Makinde noted that his government remained resolute in bringing prosperity to the state and would continue to support youths. 

The governor said in his Roadmap for Accelerated Development, that he had thought of how to take the people from poverty to prosperity, noting that given the state’s comparative advantage of arable land, it was clear that embracing agriculture was the way to go, but it was also obvious that using the old method of farming would not produce the desired result.  

He said, “We are a state that was doing poorly on economic indices. The internally generated revenue was low for a state that has a rich history of economic development and we are close to the nation’s commercial capital. Lagos is not far from here. Every month, they do an IGR of about N65bn and here, when we came in, it was N1.8bn but we have now managed to push it close to N4bn.

 So, in terms of where we want to be, we have not scratched the surface yet. 

“So, we had to find a way to stimulate the economy quickly. Our comparative advantage is the arable land. If we are to achieve accelerated development, we have to build our economy around this advantage. The 11 local government areas in Ibadan are double the size of the whole of Lagos State. So, it was a no-brainer that we have to leverage agriculture and agribusiness, but we are not content with practicing agriculture like it was done in the past. 

“We need an economic solution driven by data. We need an achievable strategy powered in a new way of thinking about agriculture. One of the platforms set up to drive the new way of thinking about agriculture was the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA), headed by Dr Debo Akande.

“So, I will also say that Dr Akande has been instrumental in pushing the new way of practising agriculture in Oyo State and I can tell the whole world that this is yielding dividends. To achieve this, we will focus on partnerships to drive agribusiness, working with the private sector and development organisations.”

Governor Makinde said for Oyo State to become a modern agribusiness hub in Sub-Saharan Africa would require the attraction of large investments in agriculture, adding that to attract the kind of investments needed by the state; it would need to provide adequate infrastructure and security. 

He said though the state on his watch had done so well with the provision of infrastructure and security, it would still do more to buoy investors’ confidence. 

Talking about the Fasola Industrial Hub, the governor said developing it had provided the state a learning opportunity that would come handy as the state embarks on building Eruwa and Akufo industrial hubs. 

The governor lauded the IITA for helping the state with high-quality seeds which are propelling increased productivity in the state.

In a keynote address, a former President of Nigeria, who is also an Honorary Ambassador of IITA, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, said agribusiness would play a vital role in the future of the country. 

Chief Obasanjo said that the federal government should not be directly involved in agribusiness since the states have the landmass, resources, manpower, innovations and the infrastructure to develop holistic strategies for food security.

He commended the efforts of women in agribusiness and also encouraged them to do more as food security and food nutrition would go a long way in providing more employment, boost the foreign exchange, and increase in internally generated revenue.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Africa Continental Director CGIAR/ Director General IITA, Dr Simeon Ehui, said the forum was aimed at addressing pressing issues on food security and to drive positive changes by leveraging major stakeholders to ensure a sustainable future for the present and next generation.

Some beneficiaries of Oyo State Youth Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness Project (YEAP), Ibukunoluwa Tubi and Dolapo Opekun, lauded the initiative which has brought hope to youths. They also thanked Governor Makinde for empowering and supporting youths. 

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Education

Oyo Prioritises Rehabilitation, Maintenance of All State Roads

By Web News 683

Oyo State Government has awarded phase 2 of the junction improvement contract in Ibadan to improve traffic and mobility as well as the rehabilitation of 21 roads across zones of the state.

The Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun and Commissioner for Public Works and Transport, Professor Daud Sangodoyin who disclosed this while briefing newsmen, hinted that an estimate of 10.3 billion naira had been earmarked as a contract sum for the junction improvement phase 2 while the 21 roads rehabilitation would cost an estimate of 476.6 million naira 

Dr  Olatunbosun explained that the 21 roads rehabilitation phase 1 would cover Oyo, Ibadan, Ogbomosho, Oke-Ogun, Ibarapa zones and would be executed through direct labour by the state road maintenance agency (OYTROMA) while a contract sum of 159 million has been earmarked for earthwork at the headquarters of the state agricultural development agency (OYSADA).

He added that the State Executive Council granted approval for the procurement of 34 units JAC patrol vehicles at the sum of 848 million naira for security agencies in the state to enhance security coverage.

Earlier, the commissioner for information had disclosed that Governor Seyi Makinde would assent the 2023 appropriation bill this Friday at Saki, Oke Ogun Area of the state.

Iyabo Adebisi

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News

FG should create enabling environment for fabricators – OYSADA DG

By Web News 568

The Executive Adviser to the Oyo State Governor on Agribusiness, Dr Debo Akande says there is a need for Federal Government to provide an enabling environment and resources for fabricators to improve equipment needed for agricultural produce.

He stated this during stakeholders meeting in Ibadan with fabricators, farmers and members of Innovative Lab for Policy Leadership in Agriculture and Food Security, PILAF

Dr Akande, who is also the Director General, OYSADA, posited that if agricultural equipment being produced locally is standardized, no farmer would import equipment to process produce.

Dr Akande, while highlighting problems facing fabricators including collective knowledge constraint and funds explained that what the nation’s fabricators were practising was a more competitive approach than collective practice as being employed in other countries of the world.

The DG OYSADA, therefore, called for a special fund for fabricators to improve their equipment with a view to assisting farmers in the value chain.

He said Oyo State Government was poised to provide enabling environment for fabricators in the state to thrive and the needed resources for the local fabricators to better their own equipment.

“We need to put a specific fund in place for the issue of fabrications at the federal level, so that when we are talking about agribusiness, like diversifying from mono economic to the agricultural-based economy, how much resources are we putting into the factor that determines that gold, mechanization and agric equipment are key components” 

“if we are talking about agribusiness and agro-economy and if we are talking about large scale agriculture, we cannot be talking about using cutlass and hoes alone, so if you’re not putting your money where your money is, then you should not expect any magic, for us as a country that is the major area I think we need to focus on now”

“Oyo State Government have strategies in place, we have a plan, we are not doing anything accidentally, what we are doing are deliberate actions that is within our strategy, just a couple of weeks ago the state government commissioned the gas plant project within the state, that means we are having alternative means of energy only that at the early stage that project the gas energy will be supply in clustered industrial hubs”

A senior researcher and an administrator of Pilaf  of the University of Ibadan, and participant, Mr Iredele  Ogunbayo said the contributions and suggestions at the meeting would be used to help in creating or initiating policies that are going to better the lives of fabricators and our farmers

Iyabo Adebisi

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Agriculture

Agribusiness: FG, Oyo Govt, Partner on Youth Empowerment

By Web News 1123

In a bid to boost food security, the federal government in partnership with the Oyo State government has rolled out a special Agribusiness intervention scheme for selected youths across various local government areas of the state.

The Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency, OYSADA, through the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus, N-CARES initiative with the support of the World Bank distributed cassava stems, fertilizers and other agro-chemical to the youths at Fashola farm, Oyo.

Addressing the one hundred youth beneficiaries, the project coordinator, Resort Area 2, Mr Bamgbola Kolawole explained that the post-COVID-19 intervention plan for youths was geared toward increasing food security and supporting the food supply chain for poor households.

He noted that the initiative which would span about 2 years would empower over 6,000 youths. 

Mr Bamgbola said the youths who were divided into ten groups are expected to cultivate 50 hectares of land on the Fashola farm having been given the materials to complement several efforts of interventions by the Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration in the agricultural sector. 

In an interview, some of the beneficiaries lauded the continuous support of the state government as it was empowering them with necessary intervention to ensure their self-reliance.

Director of Agriculture and Desk officer, Oyo West Local Government Area who represented the council chairman, Mr Salam Akeem, expressed commitment to ensuring the objectives of the intervention were achieved. 

It would be recalled that the Oyo State government had trained about 3,300 youths in Agribusiness in Nasarawa State, from which the 100 beneficiaries for this intervention were drawn.

Iyabo Adebisi

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News

I’m not anti-Islam nor a despot – OYSADA Boss

By Web News 410

Director General of Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency OYSADA, Dr Debo Akande has denied a story linking him to the deliberate closure of Islamic Praying Ground at the agency’s headquarters located in the Total Garden area of Ibadan.

It would be called that Muslim Community in Oyo State, MUSCOYS, had in a statement accused the director general of the Oyo State Agricultural, Oyo State Agri-Business Development Agency, OYSADA, Dr Akande of shutting down the Mosque and Christian Fellowship Centre within the agency’s premises.

According to the statement, the DG asked the adherents of the two faiths to worship in the same place.

However, in a statement, Dr Akande stressed that the development came as a shock to him and other good people of the state. 

He also maintained that the description of him by the statement as “anti-Islam” and a despot who unilaterally decided to “stop Muslims from obeying the command of Allah,” runs contrary to everything that OYSADA stands for and represents.

He said: “OYSADA will not spend so much time dissecting the MUSCOYS press statement, it is important to clarify the circumstances which led to the OYSADA management requesting that the praying areas used by both Muslims and Christians at the agency be discontinued”. 

The statement maintained, “We have deliberately used the phrase “praying area” because to describe the structure used as a “mosque” is demeaning.

OYSADA DG further stressed that the buildings in question are Muslim Praying Ground (Mosque), Christian Praying Ground (Chapel), Toilet and Store, noted that the facilities are currently not fit for use. 

He maintained: “These were the major considerations that led to the temporary closure of these areas, contrary to what was presented in the statement, stressing that separate rooms were provided and assigned for prayers to Muslims and Christians.”

Some of the staff of the agency that spoke with journalists that were on an assessment tour of the facilities said the closure of the facilities became necessary due to the deplorable state of the affected structures.

A senior staff who briefed journalists on condition of anonymity stated that after returning from the pandemic break, they met the toilet in a deplorable condition, “the stench was so bad that we had to restrict the use of the worship centres, as well as that of the storage facility.” 

He said, “The plan was to quickly renovate the place so that we can go back to using them. But as I speak to you the file is still being processed, we held a meeting with our boss, Dr Debo Akande that we are exposed to security threats as unknown faces were seen sleeping inside our worship centres during productive hours and even overnight.”

“After the fruitful meeting with our boss, this gate was constructed by the boss himself, but promised a befitting toilet, storage and praying areas for us.”

“We have been living together in peace and harmony here, there is no rancour between the Muslim and Christian faiths here. Some people just want to aggravate the situation to suit a narrative”. He continued

In his contributions, a former Director of Administrative Services at OYSADA and a Muslim, Mr Fajimi, told journalists that he was privy to be at the meeting held with members of MUSCOYS.

Mr Fajimi further maintained that there was no plan to keep the area permanently closed, stressing that Dr Debo used his personal resource to fix the gate at the entrance when he was approached over the insecurity of staff members’ lives and theft of the agency’s materials.

“We all agreed for the temporary closure of those affected structures due to their deplorable states and this was communicated to the leadership of MUSCOYS, who were urged to enable needed rehabilitation to be done.”

Mr Fajimi further stressed that “there was no plan to leave the place permanently closed. Dr Akande has said the place will be re-opened after meeting with management. [MUSCOYS] should have reported exactly what happened and not present this story the way they did. It is high time journalists verify their stories before dissemination, they should always try to find out the true situation before they begin to tell stories.”

“Come to think of it, if he is anti-Muslim for closing a mosque as stated in the falsehood report, is he also anti-Christian? Surely, if one religion was being exalted above the other, the Christians would be allowed to continue using their space while Muslims were stopped.” 

“Interestingly, Alhaji Dawud Makanjuola Akinola the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta States, who has waded into the matter, saw the need to ensure the hygienic and pious worship by Ummah, by commencing the construction of modern toilet facilities for the OYSADA mosque. If there was nothing wrong with the facility, why would they want to expedite repairs?”  Mr Fajimi asked.

Iyabo Adebisi

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Agriculture

Food Security: Oyo Govt. Trains 66 Facilitators, Desk Officers

By Web News 453

Oyo State government has trained its 66 desk and facilitators across the thirty-three local government areas of the state to assist small-scale farmers in cushioning the effect of Covid-19 towards boosting food security.

The training which is with the support of the World Bank is to scale up the intervention that would help the farmers to increase food production in the state.

Addressing the trainees via -Zoom at the programme held at the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency, OYSADA, Headquarters Saki, the Director General of OYSADA, Dr Debo Akande noted that the Nigeria Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (N-CARES) programmes are an Oyo State Government/World Bank Assisted Project with the objective to enhance the food supply chain.

Dr Akande who is also the Executive Adviser to the Governor on Agribusiness explained that desk and facilitators would be a soldier in supporting all these farmers and young people in all the 33 local government areas of the state to identify the beneficiaries who needed the support.

Akande said, “N-CARES is expected to support the farmers that were attacked by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the young farmers that are into small-scale farming but deeply involved in the agricultural and agribusiness value chain”. 

He further said, “one of the reasons why many of you were selected as facilitators to be part of this agricultural scheme is because you are young, vibrant and dynamic, few of you I’m aware completed training at Nasarawa State under the state Youth Employment Agribusiness Project, YEAP, initiative, and I’m also aware that only a few of you like 20 out of over 3,000 that attended the training were selected for this program, this means that you are ICT guaranteed and you must adopt the use of technology a lot in driving this project at hand”.

“Don’t allow people to tell you that this is not how we used to do it during the days of FADAMA, or OYSADEP, this is not a FADAMA nor OYSADEP program, we are looking for new technology, new ideas, new innovations, we cannot continue to do things in the same way and expect a different result, there must be new approaches to deliver things for the development of our dear state, and we are counting on you people to provide all these platforms and knowledge on farm approaches.”

Earlier, the Result Area 2 Project Coordinator in the state, Mr Abimbola Bamgbola said, “N-Cares programmes are designed to restore the livelihood of the poor and vulnerable, maintaining food security and facilitating recovery of Moses which are some of the key objectives set out in the government’s economic sustainable plan to respond to the current economic crisis in Nigeria”.

He noted that the orientation and training of the facilitators and desk officers in the state is to acquaint them with the implementation procedures and guidelines for the project. 

Mr Bamgbola commended the state governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde for the commencement of the intervention programmes for the affected farmers in the state even before the Federal government intervention project.

In an interview, two of the participants, Mr Ogunyanju Akeem Babatunde, a desk officer from Atiba Local Government and Moses Odigie, a Facilitator from Ibarapa Local government described the training as worthwhile.

They also promised to make good use of the training for the development of the state.

Iyabo Adebisi

Economy

We Employed 6,134 Youths in the Past Year- Oyo Govt.

By Web News 560

Oyo State Government has said that it employed 6,134 people into the state workforce in the last budgetary year.

The Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde, made this known during the community and stakeholders’ town hall meeting held at Saki earlier today.

He said the Oyo state workforce has 5000 new teachers, 600 education officers and 534 medical and healthcare workers to increase efficiency in government service delivery.

The Governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Engineer Rauf Olaniyan, said the recruitment was based on the drive to gainfully engage and employ the youth population while reducing the unemployment numbers.

He said, as at the half of the year budget evaluation, the budget performance stands at 60% while the target stands at enhancing it up to 75% before the year ends based on improved revenue performance.

The state’s helmsman asserted that the scarcity of resources will make the government prioritize based on the most pressing while considering other requests in the next year’s budget.

The Governor highlighted that his administration has started various projects in the Oke Ogun zone and are at various completion stages, including the reconstruction and remodelling of OYSADA, reconstruction of Saki township road, reconstruction of Saki-Ogboro-Igboho road to mention but a few.

He therefore urged the people to let their voices be heard as the government is set to relieve them at their pain points by heeding to their requests.

Earlier in her open remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry of Budget and Economic planning, Mrs Foluke Adebiyi said in spite of the paucity of funds, the state government is accommodating all the needs of the people but attending to them in order of priority one after the other.


‘Seye Ajagbe,
Media Officer to the Deputy Governor

Economy

Oyo Govt to Complete OYSADA Headquaters in 6 Months – Makinde

By Web News 1917 Post a comment

Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde has flagged-off the rehabilitation of Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency, OYSADA, Headquarters in Saki.

While flagging off the rehabilitation of the OYSADA Headquarters, Governor Makinde said government would make use of local artisans for the facility, to be completed within five to six months.

Governor Seyi Makinde at the flagging-off of the rehabilitation OYSADA Headquarters in Saki

The governor added that the agency would soon commence operation noting that some OYSADA members of staff would resume work at the Ministry of Agriculture, Secretariat, Ibadan and others at the OYSADA headquarters in Saki.

On easy movement of farm produce, the governor explained that a total rehabilitation of Oyo-Iseyin road and patch up potholes from Iseyin to Saki would commence once the federal government approved the roads.

Governor Seyi Makinde at the Saki Infectious Disease Center

Governor Makinde later inspected an ongoing rehabilitation of the proposed Saki Infectious Disease Center that would house a 200-bed facility.

Iyabo Adebisi

Agriculture

Makinde Signs Law Establishing Oyo Agribusiness Agency

By Web News 1039

Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde has signed a bill for the establishment of the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency, OYSADA into law.

The bill which was signed into law at the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan.

Speaking at the signing, Governor Makinde said the law would make adequate provision for the establishment, composition and powers of the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency.

He noted that the agency headquarters would be located in Saki, explaining that the first two projects the agency would embarked upon are the Farm Estates in Eruwa and Akufo.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Agric-business, Dr. Debo Akande said the law establishing the Agric Business Development Agency was borne out of the need to develop Oyo State as the Agribusiness hub of the country and Sub-Sahara Africa as a whole. 

He described the law as a landmark in the history of the state, adding that the law would turn around the fortune of the state Agribusiness completely.

Iyabo Adebisi